DEUTERONOMY LESSON 9
We will begin this lesson in Deuteronomy 7:1 "When the LORD thy
God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it,
and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the
Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites,
and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier
than thou;"
All of these people from these 7 nations are idolaters. They may
be physically strong, but they are no match for God. Notice, who cast
out the nations before them. It is the LORD. Not only are there 7
nations, but they are mightier physically than the Israelites. God had
promised Abraham 10 nations. Some of them were the Kenites, Kenizites,
Kadmonites and Rephadim. They had destroyed Rephadim with Og. The
others, here, will fall with the exploits of Joshua.
Deuteronomy 7:2 "And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them
before thee; thou shalt smite them, [and] utterly destroy them; thou
shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:"
It seems cruel for them to be totally run out of this country,
but that is necessary to keep the Israelites from mixing with them,
and worshipping their false gods. They must not make a covenant with
the world. They are not people who would honor a covenant, since they
know not God.
Deuteronomy 7:3 "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy
daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou
take unto thy son."
The sad part of this is what we said above, they are idolaters,
and would cause their spouses to become idolaters, also. They must not
marry these people, because they must stay faithful to God. A believer
should never marry a non-believer. That is being unequally yoked.
Deuteronomy 7:4 "For they will turn away thy son from following
me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be
kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly."
This had already happened, when Balaam tricked them. God
destroyed all who were involved in the unfaithfulness. Thousands had
died. It is strange, but the worshipper of the false gods usually turn
the worshipper of God, instead of the other way around. It is better
to marry within your own faith.
Deuteronomy 7:5 "But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall
destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their
groves, and burn their graven images with fire."
Their altars, images, groves, and graven images were all
associated with the worship of their false gods. They were to be
totally destroyed, for a reminder to not get involved in this sin.
They were not to just tear them down, but totally destroy them with
fire, as well.
Deuteronomy 7:6 "For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy
God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
himself, above all people that [are] upon the face of the earth."
The thing that made Israel different, was their relationship with
their God. God had chosen them out of all the people on the earth to
be His. God had given Him their law. He wanted them to be holy, as He
is holy. They are to be a representative for God upon the earth.
Deuteronomy 7:7 "The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor
choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye
[were] the fewest of all people:"
God chose the smallest country in the world, so His greatness
could show through them. He set His love upon them. They did not earn
His love. He gave it to them.
Deuteronomy 7:8 "But because the LORD loved you, and because he
would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the
LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the
house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
God's great love for mankind is hard to understand. It is even
more difficult to understand His immense love for this ungrateful
people. The God kind of love {agape} is the greatest love there is. He
does not love them because of something they have done, but in spite
of what they have done. He had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
{their fathers}. God brought them out of Egypt, not by any great feat
of man. He brought them out with the ten plagues He sent on Egypt.
They had been slaves to Pharaoh, now, they are God's wife.
Deuteronomy 7:9 "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is]
God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that
love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
The people are warned against rebellion and unfaithfulness. God
is faithful and just. He blesses the person who keeps His
commandments. He blesses their children, and grandchildren to a
thousand generations.
Deuteronomy 7:10 "And repayeth them that hate him to their face,
to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will
repay him to his face."
This just means that God will not have someone else to do this,
He will do it Himself. God will punish him personally.
Deuteronomy 7:11 "Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and
the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do
them."
The people are reminded, by Moses, to keep God's commandments, if
they do not want God to punish them.
Deuteronomy 7:12 "Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken
to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall
keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy
fathers:"
Moses reminds them, also, that God will bless them abundantly, if
they keep His commandments. There were blessings promised for
obedience, and cursings for those who would not obey. God always does
exactly what He says. What He promises, He will do. He is a merciful
God.
Deuteronomy 7:13 "And he will love thee, and bless thee, and
multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit
of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of
thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto
thy fathers to give thee."
This is a list of some of the blessings that would come upon
them, if they kept their covenant with God. Hebrews considered
children as a special blessing from God. They were blessed with big
families, plenty of food, and an abundance of cattle and sheep. They
would have need for nothing.
Deuteronomy 7:14 "Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there
shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle."
The Hebrews thought it a curse not to have children. This is a
blessing on the people, and their cattle.
Deuteronomy 7:15 "And the LORD will take away from thee all
sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou
knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all [them] that hate thee."
Some diseases are caused from sin. The worldly diseases of our
day are like the A.I.D.S. Sinful acts, sometimes, cause disease.
Sexually transmitted diseases are a good example of that. Not all
diseases are sin. We know that, by the blind man that Jesus healed.
His disciples asked Him who had sinned, him or his parents. Jesus told
them neither of them, it was to glorify God.
Deuteronomy 7:16 "And thou shalt consume all the people which the
LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon
them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that [will be] a snare
unto thee."
The enemy was a strong nation, but God would be with the
Israelites. He told them to get rid of the people He had delivered
before them. They should have no pity on them, because they served
false gods. If they spared them, they might get ensnared by their
worship of false gods.
Deuteronomy 7:17 "If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations
[are] more than I; how can I dispossess them?"
This would be a terrible thing to think in their hearts. This was
the sin their fathers had committed. They must not faint at the size
of the people, but have faith in God.
Deuteronomy 7:18 "Thou shalt not be afraid of them: [but] shalt
well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all
Egypt;"
Pharaoh had a large, well-trained army with many chariots, but
God drowned them all in the Red Sea. They must depend on the power of
their God, and not on their own power.
Deuteronomy 7:19 "The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and
the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out
arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy
God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid."
The temptation is to look at these people, and be afraid. They
must not do that. They must remember the great odds against God
bringing them out of Egypt, but He did. They must use all the faith
they have, and believe God will deliver these people into their hands.
Deuteronomy 7:20 "Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet
among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee,
be destroyed."
The people will flee from the hornet sting. Those who refuse to
go, will die from the hornet stings.
Deuteronomy 7:21 "Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the
LORD thy God [is] among you, a mighty God and terrible."
Fear is the opposite of faith. They must put their faith and
trust in the LORD who is among them. He is a mighty God and terrible.
Deuteronomy 7:22 "And the LORD thy God will put out those nations
before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at
once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee."
We see the enemy is not moved out in one night, because there
would be too many wild animals left for this group of Israelites to
fight. They will take the people, a few at a time, to give them time
to build safe places for their own cattle and sheep.
Deuteronomy 7:23 "But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto
thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be
destroyed."
God will be with them all the time, that they are fighting these
people. God will go before them in every instance, and protect them.
God will place them before the Israelites, as they are to fight
against them.
Deuteronomy 7:24 "And he shall deliver their kings into thine
hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall
no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them."
It would be very important to destroy their leaders, so the
people would not have someone to lead them in their battles. This
seems as if the siege is for quite some time.
Deuteronomy 7:25 "The graven images of their gods shall ye burn
with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold [that is] on them,
nor take [it] unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it [is] an
abomination to the LORD thy God."
The graven images were made mostly of silver and gold. The metal,
alone, in them would have been valuable. God tells them not to take
the metal, after they have melted these images. Gold and silver could
be a temptation to sin.
Deuteronomy 7:26 "Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into
thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: [but] thou shalt
utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it [is] a
cursed thing."
The gold and silver had been associated with the false god. God
tells them not to bring anything into their homes, that are related in
any way to the worship of false gods. The things used in false worship
are cursed, and could bring the curse to them. These people of God
shall hate anything connected to false gods.
Deuteronomy 9 Questions
1. Who are the people in the land, that will be cast out?
2. All of the people from these 7 nations are ___________.
3. God had promised Abraham _______ nations would be destroyed.
4. Who were the others?
5. Who was a Rephadim?
6. They were to make no ___________ with them.
7. Why is it necessary to run them out totally?
8. Why should they not marry these people?
9. What would happen to those who married these idolaters?
10. What should they do to the altars, and images?
11. What were the altars, images, groves, and graven images associated
with?
12. What kind of people are Israel to be?
13. The thing that made Israel different, was their __________ with
God.
14. They were not large in number, but ___________.
15. What is God's kind of love?
16. Who had God sworn to, that they would receive the promised land?
17. How had God brought them out of Egypt?
18. How long will God keep covenant with those who love Him?
19. What was the condition of His covenant with them?
20. What are some of the blessings mentioned in verse 13?
21. The Hebrews thought it a _________ not to have children.
22. What is a disease of our day caused by sin, in most cases?
23. How do we know that all sickness is not from sin?
24. Why did God tell them to have no pity on these people?
25. What is the sin in verse 17?
26. What were they to remember, to help them not be afraid?
27. What will God send among their enemies, to help run them off?
28. Why would it take some time to move all of the enemy out?
29. Why should they not keep the gold and silver from the burned
images?
30. The people of God shall hate anything connected to ________ _____.